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GermanGrad12

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  1. Thank you for the clarification, umaman. Do you have any recommendations for the OP as far as additional programs for SLA then? From my experiences, the Germanic Linguistics business was and is "a boomin'" in the programs that still have the representative faculty, but these programs are few in number (and for SLA even more so). Berkeley is a pioneering program for Germanic linguistics, but they are more notable for maintaining that emphasis when other programs decided to shortsightedly abandon it. In that vein, the problem that the OP will probably run into is that many Germanic linguistics faculty members across the country are close to retirement and/or don't have an SLA emphasis. Worse yet (as I'm sure you know), German programs across the country have faced multiple setbacks over the past five to six years, so even if some programs have various reputations it's still difficult (especially for international students like our OP) to gauge what appropriate programs are left.
  2. Have you also looked at ANS (Adjunct Nate Silber's blog) regarding PhD and TT job placement rates for German? It's quite telling. http://zugunglueck.blogspot.com/
  3. I apologize for only seeing this now. I thought I still received updates when additional replies were posted. I will send you my drafts of the pieces I have written if that works via your profile page. My comment on facing stiffer competition when entering wtih a Master's is probably more applicable to those seeking acceptance with an M.A. in German; i should have been more clear. The reason being, is that by accepting students with a BA for the initial MA coursework it allows departments to not only vet their future PhD students in house, it also is a way to weed out individuals who don't make the cut before they get to the PhD level. With applicants holding an MA, they are competing for even fewer spots than those entering with a BA, as the BA students still need to complete two years of coursework before making it to the next round of grad school; it's purely a logistics issue, usually. For example: let's say 12 students apply with a BA and 8 apply with an MA for approximately four or five newly vacant openings (with funding) for new graduate students in the department. Since statistically it is recognized that about half who begin with a BA will drop out by the time those students are meant to complete their MA exams and plan b paper/thesis, the dept will probably fill 3 or 4 of those spots with new students entering with a BA, as that way they will most likely have enough PhD students in due course. That leaves one, maybe two, spots open for entering MA students. Sometimes this is different, especially in smaller subfields of German like linguistics (where more students are completing their MA work in one place, and then going somewhere else for their PhD), but this is usally how it works. AdornoGray, do you already hold an MA in German? (R.E. to S.K.: It's also worth nothing that although you are interested in second language aquisition and linguistics, I'm not sure whether your MEd. will be put at the same level with an M.A. in these departments. They might want you to complete an M.A. in their department anyway (and in that case, you might fare better with admissions). That is why individually e-mailing every department to which you are seriously considering applying is a very important step. It not only signals to them who the serious applicants are, it also clears up these concerns for you.) I also want to reiterate a question I had: What are you planning on doing with your degree? Are you planning on getting a tenure track job? The job market for German is incredibly precarious if almost non-existent. Second language acquisition is probably a good direction to go, but literature and medieval German lit are flooded with graduates who are struggling to find work. I understand everyone has their own reasons to apply to graduate school, and in a time when there isn't much going on as far as opportunity in the United States. Just be aware of the realities every step of the way.
  4. I would agree that Wisconsin and Minnesota are also good options to consider. Others to think about are the programs at Indiana and Berkeley; they both have strong linguistics emphases in addition to their literature and culture offerings (though don't quote me on whether the programs' emphases are on applied linguistics). Be advised that all of these programs are very competitive for PhD admission (if you intend to enter with a Master's, the odds can sometimes be slimmer with as few as 1-3 people offered funding overall, BA or MA in hand). There is a lot of pressure for many programs, both public and private, to reduce the cohort sizes to reflect how few academic jobs there are for German PhD graduates. SLA and applied linguistics graduates, depending on who you talk to you, have advantages and disadvantages on the job market. What do you intend to do? Do you plan on looking for a TT job in the States? Return to Europe after you complete your studies? Also keep in mind that though graduate programs will most likely accept your Master's degree, you will most likely have to take a certain amount of coursework, even to the extent of repeating some of it. Have you contacted any of these departments yet? That is a very important step. If you need any help, I have a few write-ups I can send to you regarding graduate admissions in the humanities.
  5. Another comment to make, is that I agree with LKS in that I would be weary of a program like CU Boulder's. From what I have heard, the department is reviving their PhD program after a two-decade moratorium for reasons unknown to anyone. There is simply no need for more PhD programs in an age where not many German PhD graduates are finding decent jobs. Another program that is implementing this sort of "fast-track" PhD option for German is the University of Oregon, having revised their curriculum to speed up their once tedious program where MA students had to write a thesis. I understand that both programs are rightfully taking into account the high economic cost of attending grad school for 10+ years, especially when the job market is so terrible, but such small programs shouldn't be reinstated at this point in time, and probably don't have he best interests of students in mind. PhD programs bring prestige to the department and those institutions, but at what cost when jobs for those students aren't available? If I were you, I would look at reputable programs that are well established with greater resources, both public and private, with relevant matches to your interests that have high retention and TT placement rates. "Adjunct Nate Silber", apart from ranking TT placements in German, has compiled a list of programs, ranking them based on retention.
  6. I agree with the other posters' advice on this thread, but I would like to add a few more points to what has already been said. Firstly, you need to be absolutely certain you and (hopefully) your advisers know how precarious the job market in academia is, especially in German. Being a graduate from a top liberal arts college, students from that particular background can have rather unrealistic expectations regarding graduate school. Liberal arts college students are taught by wonderful professors who have mentored and nurtured them intellectually, and whose students come to believe that this type of job will be available to them one day if they continue to excel at current rates. Graduate school will not be about rock star students who have the initiative to succeed academically among a sea of peers in their given major(s). It will be much more cutthroat than that (as past comments have highlighted), and not to mention graduate school will be much more rigid and structured when it comes to your own intellectual output. What you write as a graduate student will more likely match formally edited, peer-reviewed journals, not the radical pet projects you completed as a junior or senior. Graduate school in any field is first and foremost professional training for a particular job, and that job currently for German is training for academic positions at colleges or universities. The problem is, the job market for TT jobs no longer exists, and obtaining a PhD to do anything else is an inefficient way to gain applicable skills to other jobs (you can do that through other, less time consuming training). That is why you must be whole-heartedly committed to pursuing this line of work even if there is a high probability you won't get a TT job. It might help to do some reading up on the adjunct crisis on blogs, websites (from the Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed to the NYT), etc in order to test how intent you are, and whether this line of work is right for you before spending a decade in graduate school. In addition, as others have mentioned, if teaching college students or being one of the VERY select few that obtain jobs at PhD-granting institutions AS A TT PROFESSOR, you then need to do your research on what programs do well with placing graduates into TT jobs, as there is a lot of variance. Below is a link to a terrific blog, written by a German PhD, who has chronicled the ills of the German job market after the 2008 recession. http://zugunglueck.blogspot.com/2014/03/how-job-market-in-german-really-works.html As you can see, and as "Adjunct Nate Silber" demonstrates, programs at some rather elite institutions fare miserably with their job placement of students. On the other hand, some larger programs at public institutions do extraordinarily well with job training. Keep this in mind as you thoroughly research graduate programs. However, a program's excellent record with TT job placements does not translate into a terrific program fit (more on that later) for you or your particular interests necessarily. Also keep in mind that programs that overwhelmingly place their students in coveted R1 jobs (Berkeley, Princeton, etc) don't do necessarily well with placing students in teaching-heavy jobs, like the ones at SLACs (small liberal arts colleges). Those are factors you must weigh when thinking about what you want the IDEAL outcome of your PhD work to be. Lastly (before I list some final points to consider), if this is something you end up doing (applying to PhD programs), and in turn have considerable luck with being in the envious position of getting multiple offers to choose from, do not take the issue of funding lightly. Many programs (if they have the money) will shower you with "funding packages" that might include fellowships (usually for the first year to "sweeten" the deal, but are crucial to finishing a degree in a more timely manner), summer funding (though rarely offered up front, summer funding options should ideally be available beyond teaching remedial language courses) and assistantships (the usual form graduate funding takes). Do not take any of these "funding" offers seriously until you research the cost of living, average time to a degree in that program, and the workload required for assistantships. You can be easily screwed if you don't look into these things. Many of these stipend amounts were set decades ago, and do not reflect the current cost of living in cities where housing cannot keep up with the population growth. Same goes for teaching load: if any program expects you to teach more than one course section per semester, look elsewhere. The point of TAing is to gain professional and teaching experience while finding a way to make enough to live off of while still having enough time for coursework/writing. At no time should you be (overly) exploited, and prevented from making considerable progress toward your degree. At the most your contract should only require you to work 20 hours per week, as that is what a 50% appointment plainly is. Most programs will allow you visit at their expenses. DO NOT MAKE A DECISION IN FAVOR OF OR AGAINST A PROGRAM WITHOUT VISITING! Here are the other factors I would consider after being accepted and having visited: 1. What are the other grad students like? This is incredibly important as you spend a lot of time together. 2. As mentioned before, how much will you have to teach, versus how much will your stipend be? It should not be more than one course section per semester. 3. IMPORTANT: Are the course offerings appealing? Do they match the approach you wish to take as a graduate student? Do they seem more interdisciplinary? More theoretical? Boring? 4. Look very carefully at the requirements for the degree levels. Do they seem comparable to other programs you are visiting/have visited? Do they seem rigid or old fashioned? You wouldn't believe how degree requirements vary among seemingly similar programs. Ask grad students about the exam expectations, also. Are they manageable, or impossibly difficult and arbitrary? 5. With whom on the faculty could you work, based on your interests and theirs and from word of mouth? Be sure to look at that professor(s) record for advising, both officially from departmental statistics and from grad students. Be sure you you have more than one viable option for advising in the event a professor gets a job elsewhere or retires. 6. Due to funding cuts, this is becoming less common, but do these programs have visiting professors from German-speaking universities? That speaks for the dynamism (or lack thereof) of certain departments. 7. Does the program allow you to take courses in other departments? There will be required outside coursework, but this speaks for the flexibility of a given department if you want to take relevant coursework in other areas. 8. Along the line of visiting scholars from German-speaking universities, does the program have international exchange options for grad students with departments abroad? This is also being phased out in many places due to low participation numbers, but this is important for language area studies. 9. Will you be able to develop professionally, academically, and intellectually for the kind of work you are interested in one day (hopefully) doing? If you want to teach undergraduates at a liberal arts college, you should ask about being able to teach upper-level courses or the possibility of designing your own course for that purpose. In the end, so many factors will be going into making an informed decision, all of which can't be listed here. The best advice to give is to gather up the important factors, most of which are mentioned by myself and others on this thread, and consider personal factors also (you need to above all be happy where you end up, so keep location and institution in mind), in order to make the most lucrative decision over something that in the long run might not pay off in the way one might hope.
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